Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Introduction

The Inter-Community School Zurich is the oldest international school in the Greater Zurich Area. Proudly an IB World School, ICS is renowned for the community it has created over the past six decades.

Located in the picturesque village of Zumikon, near a beautiful Nature Reserve, the school

is only 10 km away from the old town of Zurich.

As a School, we are committed to creating a truly supportive learning environment in which all members of the community are challenged to achieve their individual potential, encouraged to pursue their passions, and expected to fulfill their responsibilities.

Possessing outstanding leadership and supervisory skills, the CHRO is responsible for designing and implementing human resource strategies, aligning human resource functions with the school goals, hiring, and retaining employees, and managing school culture.

The CHRO acts in an advisory role to the School Executive, providing high-level insight into the needs of the workplace through a clear articulation of policy and best practice.

Work as part of the G3 a core group comprising of the Head of School, the CFO, and the CHRO. The CHRO will be a value adder and is central in the decision-making processes that govern the strategic success of the school.

Specific Responsibilities

Role :

• Predicting outcomes the CHRO should be able to assess the changes of the school meeting its goals, using their knowledge of the people within the organisation.
• Diagnosing problems the CHRO will examine the causes of problems. An expert in diagnosing how the various parts of the social system within the school are working, the CHRO will be able to systematically look for activities that are causing bottlenecks and unnecessary friction.
• Prescribing actions the CHRO will know how to use human capital to unlock and create value.

Responsibilities :

Define and monitor HR strategy that is aligned to the school's strategy, ensuring that the school remains an employer of choice, and is renowned for the level of HR service provided

Finalise the HR Policy Suite as per the NEASC Foundation Standards, and develop a review process for maintaining the Suite to achieve best practice across all HR Functions

Be an active member of the School Executive and advise on all matters pertaining to culture, people development and performance management

Formulate career development plans for staff and advance the professional development programme of the school

Promote inclusion in the workplace and reinforce our position as an equal-opportunity employer

Lead the employee lifecycle through oversight of all processes and procedures and tools that enhance the experience of employees arriving and departing the school

Evaluate training and development programmes

Develop HR policies for all areas of HR operations

Analyse the effectiveness of HR procedures and tools

Ensure HR plans align with our vision, mission and values.

Functions :

• This position is directly responsible for leading the HR division of the school, responsible for all employees within it
• Led the employee relations division of the school by overseeing staff benefits administration, labour relations activities, and other related duties
• Coordinate between staff and management and resolve workplace conflict where appropriate
• Ensure compliance with employment laws HR function while remaining updated on new developments through research and strategic planning
• Oversee recruitment efforts and help devise robust talent acquisition strategies to find the best potential candidates for vacancies
• Bring out the best in staff by providing training and development space to help them grow professionally
• Monitor company policies and the HR department functions to ensure they comply with government regulations and policy
• Work alongside alongside the CFO to assess the key performance indicators and budget specifications are enough to achieve the desired HR outcomes of the school
• Establish and implement HR efforts that effectively communicate and support the school mission and strategic vision
• Develop HR plans and strategies to support the achievement of the school in achieving its objectives

The successful candidate will have :

Experience as a CHRO or in a similar Executive role

Experience in strategic planning, implementation and review, policy development and design

Overall knowledge of all HR functions and the ability to build an exceptional team

Hands-on experience with HR software and the ability to use it for the advancement of the organisation to create efficient and productive processes that enhance the experience of all staff

Excellent understanding of labour legislation

Masters Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology ideally in an educational setting

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships and foster a positive culture

Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism

Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to a dynamic and evolving educational environment.

Key Skills

Strategic thinking

People Management

Mediation and Performance Management

Understanding of Swiss Employment Law

Attention to detail

Service-focused; mission-driven

Leadership and engagement

Customer-oriented

Collaborative mindset

A critical decision maker when hiring high-level positions

Possess strong Business and Financial Acumen

A big picture thinker and have experience designing, implementing, and reviewing strategy

Possess exceptional leadership skills

Emotional Intelligence the CHRO must have great communication and interpersonal skills, and possess a high level of emotional intelligence

Ability to use data the CHRO should understand HR Analytics, including how to sue data and gather it to present problems